Fairytale of Lies
by MidnightShadow101
Summary: The princess of the Acorn kingdom is captured by the Evil King Mephiles, while an outlaw and their friends try and save her and the kingdom. Sounds like a normal fairytale right? Wrong. In this story, you won't be able to tell what is the truth, and what is a lie.
1. The King's Daughter

**A/N: Hey! This isn't my story; I just edited it for a friend that doesn't have an account on FanFiction yet. Please review, favorite, follow!**

The Heir

Once upon a time, on a far away planet, were three kingdoms. There was the Babylonian Empire, the Echidna Clan, and the Acorn Kingdom. These kingdoms often times worked together in order to gain more land and power. After conquering land together they would divide it equally based on what resources they needed and how big the kingdom was already. The Acorn Kingdom was the crown jewel of this land. It was the center of trade which made it very wealthy. It was ruled by King Maximilian and Queen Alicia. Maximilian was a great chipmunk man ruled with an iron fist and made decisions swiftly in order to protect his land. Alicia ruled sternly but with more compassion for the citizens of the country than the land itself. She was also a master strategist, often times aiding her husband when war did strike. She even showed sympathy to those they conquered in which they become loyal to the kingdom. Ruling together the Acorn Kingdom was prosperous.

One day at a council meeting with the other leaders, King Maximilian proposed that the 3 kingdoms band together to take back the mountain side.

"It would be a huge advantage to have for future battles, and we could possibly harness the magic for ourselves." he argued during a council meeting.

"I agree." said the red feathered Babylonian Emperor, "My people would also gain from this. In the mountains we could harness our flight better. It's very difficult to do so in our current settlement."

"No!" Said the Head chief of the Echidna Clan, "We cannot risk another war with the Cursed Kingdom. We may have defeated it once, but who knows how much stronger it's become these past 50 years." The Babylonian Emperor whispered with his green feathered Empress for a short time. Running a hand through his blonde hair, Maximillion leaned to his right to talk with Alicia.

"I have it in my mind to march over there myself." He whispered to her, glaring at the Echidna chief.

"Maxx, you know as well as I do that would be suicide. You couldn't possibly defeat the Cursed Kingdom without the Chaos emeralds." Alicia whispered back sternly, "We don't even need a height advantage with the mountains. We're strong enough without it." She lay her hand over his. "Besides, I want you to be there when our little boy comes." With a gentle smile placed his hand on her swollen belly. There was a small kick. Maxx smiled softly. The little one was due in about a month or so, at least thats what the royal physician said. Maxx sighed and nodded to his queen. "Thank you." Alicia whispered and kissed his forehead. "I love you."

Maxx took her hand off her belly and kissed her knuckles.

"I love you too."

A month later on May 11th, the baby came.

It was in the middle of the night and as soon as Alicia told him what was happening, Maximillion scooped her up and ran to the maternity room that had been prepared. After hours of pushing and Maximilian pacing in front of the door in worry. Finally, the midwife Vanilla opened the door and told him he could come in. He came in seeing his lovely but exhausted wife laying on the bed. She opened up her ocean blue eyes weakly and smiled.

"How'd it go?" Maxx asked shyly.

Alicia chuckled softly. "It hurt like hell but, fine." Maximillion smiled and kissed her softly. They pulled away and he rested his forehead on hers both smiling.

"Here's the little princess." The Vanilla said cheerily holding a bundle of blankets in her arms.

"Princess?" Maximillion exclaimed. The rabbit handed the little bundle to Alicia, who smiled down at her baby. The little chipmunk looked exactly like her mother but unlike her mothers curly brown hair, she had straight and slightly spiky red hair. She opened her eyes, revealing two sapphire blue orbs.

"She's perfect." Alicia said smiling and nuzzling her baby. Her face changed to concern and turned her head to her husband. He stood next to the bed with a blank expression. Alicia frowned. She know that Maximillion wanted a son, but she wished he would be happy with the bundle of joy that they have now.

"Hey." she said to catch his attention. He was still. "Hey!" she said a little louder. He shook his head and looked at his wife. "Would you like to hold her?" His expression suddenly turned to panic. He had never held a child before. And this was HIS child.

"Uh…" He said dumbly.

Alicia giggled, "Don't worry, I know you won't drop her." She said reassuringly. Maximillion hesitantly reached for the little baby. Alicia held her out giving him a reassuring smile. Carefully, he put his hand under the baby's head and the other holding its bottom. Slowly, he picked her up.

Maxx stared at the baby. She was so little. He could hold her with one arm if he wanted to, but he didn't dare risk it. The little baby blink up at him. He smiled.

"She has your eyes." he said still looking at the little thing. Alicia smiled. The little baby reached up at him with her arms. He brought her closer to his face, and immediately regretted it as she grabbed his mustache. "Ow. Ow!" he exclaimed softly. The little girl giggled and laughed as she pulled and tugged of the fascinating object. Alicia laughed along with her, feeling slightly sorry for her mustached husband. Slightly.

Maximillion chuckled and moved the little girl away from his mustache and instead held out his finger. The tiny princess grabbed it eagerly with her little hands. The king smiled softly at the baby, but still wished he had gotten a son to inherit the throne. Alicia seemed to read his mind and was frowning a little again.

"You really wanted a son, didn't you." She asked solemnly. Maxamillion's eyes widened and he looked at his wife. She stared straight ahead, her eyes shadowed with with tired rings under them. Her hair was messy and tangled and just looked…

Maximillion put a hand on her shoulder, now confident enough to hold the baby in one arm. Alicia looked up at him with tired, tear filled eyes.

"I did want a son." he admitted looking back at the baby, "But instead, I got the most beautiful baby girl." He nuzzled the little girl but pulled away fast enough that she couldn't grab his mustache. He placed the little girl in her mother's arms. Alicia looked at her sweet baby. The girl looked back and let out a cute little yawn and closed her eyes. Alicia smiled and nuzzled the little one. "Her name is Sally." Alicia decided out loud. Maximillion smiled and nodded. He kissed her forehead as she drifted off to sleep from exhaustion. "I love you." he whispered. He looked at Sally, now fast asleep. " I love you too, my little princess." He said smiling.

After Sally's first birthday Maximilian and Alicia decided to have another baby, this time both hoping for a boy. So they tried again. And Again. And again. And again. Through Alicia's pregnancies, Maximilian paid little to no attention to his first born child, too busy taking care of his wife.

After five miscarriages and one stillborn, the royal physician confirmed that Alicia could never have any more children. Outside of the maternity room, a three year old Sally waited patiently for her parents to come out. The young princess swung her legs as she sat on the too-big armchair. Her sea foam green nightgown was messy and ruffled, not quite covering her cold bare feet. Sally rubbed her tired blue eyes. It was almost 3 in the morning.

"I hope that my little brother is ok." she thought to herself, "Poor mommy. No matter what she does, my brother's always die. Each time she's sadder than before." Sally frowned looking at her toes,"Daddy was real mad at me last time." Sally thought to herself, "I wonder why." She pondered that question, thinking of what she may have done to hurt her baby brother. Her eyes widened, "Maybe I gave mommy too much tea! Is tea bad for pregnant mommies?"Sally looked over at the seemingly giant door of the maternity ward. "It's so quiet. That door must be really big. I can't hear a thing." she thought turning her attention back to her toes. Suddenly, she heard the door creak open. Immediately, she jumped off the cushy chair at looked at her favorite maid, Vanilla. "Is he here!?" she asked quickly, a huge smile on her face. Sally couldn't wait to meet her new baby brother, the others never made it to a full 9 months before, so Sally hoped that this one would be okay. Vanilla's frown deepened and closed the door behind her, sadness in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry."

Sally's eyes widened, her smile gone. "You.. You mean he…?"

"Didn't make it." Vanilla finished softly with a sad sigh. Sally stared blankly at the nursemaid, barely blinking. Suddenly she got to what senes a 3 year old can have.

"Is mommy okay!?" she almost shouted. She had overheard the doctors tell her father that childbirth would be dangerous for her mommy. Vanilla was startled by the girl's sudden outburst but quickly regained her calm demeanor.

"Your mother's fine, but she is very wea-"

"I want to see her RIGHT NOW!" The little girl panted from her little tantrum, tears slowly beginning to form in her clear sapphire eyes. Vanilla's shocked expression softened to one of concern and understanding. Carefully, she opened the door so it wouldn't creek. Sally ran past Vanilla's skirt into the room. All eyes turned to the little princess.

Sally's mother lay in bed, while her husband stood at her bedside holding her hand. Sally looked at her mother's tired and devastated look in her eyes and began to cry. She ran to her mother's bedside opposite of her father and clung to the tired queens arm. She cried and she sobbed, saying over and over again, "I'm sorry." and "I shouldn't have given you tea" Alicia's eyes softened, and stroked her daughter's tear stained cheek for mild comfort. Maxamillion's eyes narrowed slightly, his grip on his wife's hand tightening. Sally's crying began to subside as Alicia switched from stroking her cheek to stroking her short red hair. The doctor cautiously tapped Maximillion on the shoulder, making him twist his head towards him. He shrunk back at the king's harsh glare before clearing his throat.

"The queen needs to rest, sire." He said with a slightly fearful voice, "It would be best if you leave so she may sleep." Maxamillion's lips pressed into a thin line but nodded. Sally now only sniffled and hiccuped now as her mother stroked her hair lazily. Alicia could scarcely keep herself awake, she had been crying herself earlier not to mention she was exhausted. Maximillion kissed his wife's hand as he had done so many times before, earning him a small, tired smile. He smiled back and walked over to his little daughter, now rubbing her eyes to get rid of the stray tears. The young girl looked up at her father with large blue eyes.

"Come on, Sally, mommy needs to sleep." Maximilian said with a neutral expression. Sally sniffled and nodded. He took her tiny little hand in his and led her to the door. Sally looked back at her mother, who lay watching them leave. Sally let go of her father's hand. Maximillion stopped and looked back at the young girl, who faced her mother.

"Mommy." she said softly, "Are you gonna be okay?"

The tired queen blinked at her blankly for a second, thinking about how to answer. She smiled softly, "I'll be fine. I just need to sleep." Sally smiled wide and nodded,

"I love you mommy!" she chirped.

"Mommy loves you too, Sally." Said Alicia. Sally turned back to her father, grabbed his hand and pulled him out,

"You heard her! Mommy needs sleep!" the tiny princess ordered. The door closed behind them with a loud thud. The maternity ward seemed just a little more gloomy. Alicia buried her face into her pillow, and began to cry.

Sally stopped dragging her father about halfway through the long corridor. The king looked down at his young daughter, who started to slow down, her eyelids drooping. Maximillion smiled a little and scooped her up into his arms.

"Come on," he said, "Let's get you to bed." The little girl yawned and snuggled up against his chest. He carried the princess all the way to her room, a lightly furnished but large room with a red and gold color scheme. He sat her into her bed and took a seat by her bedside. Sally stretched her arms and tucked herself in like usual. She opened her eyes sleepily, a little confused that he stayed this long. He usually escorted her to her room then simply left. Maximillion went down on his knees to be eye level with the little chipmunk.

"Now, Sally," he said seriously, "Mommy can't have any kids anymore now, okay?"

Sally's eyes widened then went to sadness, "Well, it did make mommy sad trying to have them." she said softly. Maximillion continued.

"Well, because you don't have any brothers, you are the heir to the throne." Sally blinked at him drowsily. Maximillion realized that this meant nothing to her, being a three-year old and all. "It means," he clarified, "That when mommy and I can't be king and queen, you will be queen." Sally's eyes widened.

"Really?!" she exclaimed, nearly jumping out of bed. "I get to be queen?!OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH!" Maximillion raised a hand signalling her to stop. Sally stopped immediately but crossed her arms with a pouty frown.

"This is a big job Sally." he said, trying to put it in the simplest way, "You need to work really hard to be a queen. Can you do that?"

"Yes yes yes! Oh I'm so excited!" she said bouncing up and down. "Well, you need to get to bed then." Maxx said, standing up and brushing off his pants. He walked to the doorway and began to close it as her left, but left it a crack open. "Sleep well, Sally."

This was the last time Sally ever heard her father say anything remotely affectionate ever again.

For rest of her life, King Maximilian would train Sally to be the perfect ruler. No more "daddy-daughter" time. Their relationship became all politics.

**End of Sally's Chapter**


	2. The Doctor's Daughter

Once upon a time, on a far away planet, there were 3 kingdoms. There was the Babylonian Empire, the Echidna Empire, and the Acorn Kingdom. In the Acorn Kingdom was a family, called the Robotniks. All of its members were intelligent, hardworking people, with the ability to create great things, whether it was beautiful works of art or ingenious machinery. Dr. Gerald Robotnik was a great engineer, responsible for many of the kingdoms innovative technology.

Everything he created was made to help the people. Though he usually utilized the elements of the Earth, those in the Echidna Clan did not agree with his ideas, wanting to stick to the old ways. The Babylonians fully supported and even honored his ability to create such wonderful things. The current King of the Acorn Kingdom wanted him to create powerful weapons for the army. The Babylonians already had some advanced weapons that they have repeatedly used in refused, even when the king had offered him a fortune to work for him. That year a war struck. without Gerald's weapons the Acorn Kingdom's army was nearly obliterated, but thanks to the Echidna Clan they weren't. Needless to say, the king had little favor for Gerald after that. Though the king kept the inventions that Gerald had already establish, such as the cart cleaner and wind powered grain mill, he banned him from establishing any more permanent installations. In order to gain any income, Gerald now worked as a locksmith and maintenance man.

Years later, he met Rosemary, a kind hearted woman who was an expert painter. They fell in love and were married soon after. Together they had two sons, Timothy and Julien, born two years apart. Unfortunately, Rosemary died from smallpox 3 years after Timothy's birth. Gerald was absolutely devastated at the loss of his wife, locking himself in his lab while his sons stayed with an old friend. This lasted for about two weeks before the inventor emerged. Though he was still a little distraught, he tried stay strong for the sake of his sons, knowing that Rosemary would want him to put them first.

Julien (or Ivo as he preferred to be called) was very proud and outspoken man, and sometimes even condescending to people with lower intelligence than his own (which was pretty much everybody to be honest). If he wanted something he would take it for his own. He was good at manipulating the weak minded, but would quickly become flustered if outsmarted or beaten in any way. He had much different morals from his father and brother. Instead of using energy from the earth's elements like Gerald, he harnessed energy from the earth's creatures. With his technology he is able to harness the life energy, or "mana", if you want to get technical, to use in his machinery. While Gerald thought it was almost monstrous, King Maximilian thought it was a genius idea. They could use the dark and evil creatures they capture to make powerful weapons for the army. He quickly asked Ivo to be his top engineer, and threw in a fortune for good measure. Ivo said yes.

As soon as he started working for the king, he proved to be an excellent strategist and politician. He quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming Maximilian's top general.

Meanwhile his brother Timothy (or Tim for short) shared many of the same beliefs as his father, wanting nothing more than to help people. He had great attention to detail, whereas Ivo looked at the big picture. This attention to detail helped his diagnosis his patients quickly and accurately so he knew exactly how to help them. This also helped him in his paintings, a trait he must of gotten from his mother. He often painted his patients or the family members of his patients so they may have some comfort when in serious conditions. Timothy was kind and gentle with his patients but would be serious and firm in certain situations.

While his brother was storming a castle in some far off land, Tim met the girl of his dreams. Her name was Molly, a gorgeous brown haired blue eyed hedgehog. She was a veterinarian who loved all sorts of creatures. They met when his dog got sick but he couldn't quite figure out what was wrong with it. He tried everything but no matter what his pup sniffled and sneezed. He finally took him to Molly who found that his dog had sniffed up a bee.

Molly jokingly mocked him, "You didn't bother to check the poor thing's nose?" Though Tim felt stupid at that moment, the two would remember this later and laugh. It took a while of them being "professional acquaintances" then "partners" than "just friends" till they finally admitted to being hopelessly in love with each other. Years later they were wed.

After a while the tow thought about having children. Because of his job Timothy didn't think it would be safe to have a child run around a house with diseased and highly contagious patients (especially if it was a rowdy young boy. Tim secretly hoped for a girl). Molly suggested that they could could have another cottage separate from Tim's where the baby could live until they were old enough to be careful about things like that. But the two didn't know where they would get another cottage. Finally, Tim had the idea that they could stay at his father's. He went to Gerald to ask him this favor. Gerald thought this was a wonderful idea and opened up his home.

9 months later, on May 11th the baby came.

Timothy himself and his assistant helped with the procedure, having dealt with childbirth before. After many hours of pushing and unfortunate hand crushing on Timothy's part, a baby's wail pierced the house.

"It's a girl!" said Timothy's assistant as she wrapped the baby hedgehog up in a clean towel. Timothy smiled and turned to his wife, who lay tired but smiling.

"You did it." he whispered, placing a tender kiss on her forehead. Molly smiled and glanced over at his assistant. She cleaned the little baby and weighed it.

"7 pounds even." she announced before scribbling it on a piece of paper. She wrapped the baby up good and tight in a blanky given by one of Molly's friends. She handed Molly the baby hedgehog. The baby had blonde quills, two larger ones sticking out from her forehead. It squirmed in Molly's arms and looked up, revealing two sapphire blue orbs. Molly's smile grew wider.

"She's perfect." she whispered, nuzzling her child. Timothy smiled fondly at the sight, leaning in for a closer look at his daughter. "She has your eyes." he said pointing. The little girl saw the finger and reached up for it with her tiny little hands. The door of the operating room opened with a creak and a old chubby man came in. The old man smiled and pushed up his glasses.

"Where's my new grandchild?" he said cheerily walking over to the happy couple.

"Hehe, right here, dad." Timothy said with a chuckle, before turning his attention back to his daughter. Gerald walked up to the other side of the bed to look at the new mother.

"How you doing?" he asked Molly.

"I'm fine Gerald." Molly said reassuringly, "Would you like to meet the baby?" Gerald nodded, a proud smile on his face. Molly shifted so Gerald could get a better look. The baby's blue eyes darted around from one face to the next, amazed at somany people. "Aw, well, ain't she a cute one!" Gerald exclaimed and laughed again. The baby blinked, watching Gerald's belly shake with laughter. The baby smiled and began to giggle along with him. Molly and Timothy smiled and knew that the two would get along very well. Molly looked at her husband who smiled proudly at the new child.

"Tim." she said catching his attention.

"Yes dear?" he answered.

"Would you like to hold your daughter?" Timothy's eyes widened then he grinned.

"Yes please." he said, nodding. Molly chuckled at her husband's enthusiasm. Carefully she lifted the baby, careful to hold up her head. The little hedgehog's giggling ceased and instead was curious and the new feeling of being lifted up. She placed the baby into Timothy's waiting arms. He simply stood there and held the baby at first. Funny, he had held many babies before and knew how to do it without dropping them, but it felt different holding his own child for the first time. He felt nervous that he might drop her, but he knew he wouldn't, and felt warm and fuzzy inside.

"What should we name her?" Gerald asked, breaking Tim's thoughts. His eyes widened. He never actually thought of a name.

"I...Uh…" he stuttered lamely.

"You got nothing?" Molly asked in an amused tone. Timothy chuckled awkwardly, an anime sweatdrop going down his forehead.

His wife chuckled and smiled "I think her name should be, Maria." she decided gazing at her baby in her husband's arms. Timothy sighed in relief that Molly had already thought of a name.

"Maria it is then!" Gerald said aloud for all to hear. He walked up to Timothy to get a good look at Maria. "Hello Maria. I'm your granddaddy!" he said softly but enthusiastically, since his face was so close to hers. Baby Maria stared at the older hedgehog, mostly at his big bushy grey mustache. The little blonde hedgie reached up with her tiny hands and grabbed the mustache. Gerald yelped as she gave the hair a sharp tug, giggling giddily at the discovery of such a fascinating toy. Molly laughed loudly while her husband struggled to free his father from the clutches of baby Maria.

For the next year Molly and Maria lived in Gerald's shop. Gerald had made fun little toys for his granddaughter, like a wind up wooden horse and a teddy bear that glowed in the dark. Maria loved her granddaddy and he loved her right back. Molly loved Maria too and read her stories at night and sang her sweet lullabies to help her sleep. When Timothy wasn't working he tried to spend as much time with his family as possible. He helped feed, burp, and change Maria, and helped around with household work more than usual. Molly said he waited on her enough when she was pregnant and that he didn't have to, but he insisted.

Maria was a very smart baby. At 3 months she figured out how to open her crib (Which Gerald built himself. He had insisted it was escape proof too.) and at 6 months she could talk (Maria's first word was "wrench". At first Molly thought she said "wench" so she got mad at Gerald and Timothy). She sang the "Happy Birthday" song on her first birthday. However she didn't start walking until 13 months old, but once she started she didn't stop! At 23 months she could actually have decent conversations with her parents (Mostly when they asked for logical reasons for her not to take a bath).

After her 2nd birthday, Molly became very sick. It was just a cold but it made her extremely weak, so Timothy had her stay in his doctor's office while Gerald looked after Maria. A few days went by. A week. A month. 2 months. 3months.

Timothy was worried. He had never seen this kind of disease before. Molly would catch a cold, get over it for a week or two, then catch it again. It boggled his mind. He now was at the office constantly trying to figure out what was wrong with his wife.

Gerald was worried. Very worried. One day he stared out the window, wondering if Timothy would come back to attend to his little girl. Said girl stopped playing with her horse toy and walked over to her granddaddy. The old man looked at the little girl. Her blonde hair went past her ear but not quite to her shoulders. She wore a pale pink dress that went to her ankles so you could see her bare feet.

"Grandaddy." she cooed, deep blue eyes glimmering with concern, "Where's mommy and daddy?" Gerald's lips pressed into a thin line. He turned his whole body to face her instead of the window.

"Mommy's very sick." he explained, "Daddy is taking care of her. She has something he's never seen before so hes trying to figure out what it is."

Maria nodded, "Is she gonna get better?" she asked innocently. Gerald paused then smile softly at the little girl.

"Well you know who your daddy is right?" he said.

Maria smiled "The bestest doctor in the whole world!" the 2 year old responded.

"That's right kiddo." Gerald said with a wink, "Now how bout I show you a neat trick in the lab?" he said poking her tummy, making her giggle.

"Hehehe. Okay, Granddaddy." she giggled. Gerald smiled as she took his hand. As they walked out of the room, Gerald looked back at the window.

"I'm kind of worried about daddy." he mumbled grimly as he closed the door behind them. Maria's triangular ears flickered in his direction, "I am too…" she thought, and kept walking to the lab.

A few weeks went by and Molly was still sick. Timothy was terrified for her life. He looked through every medical index and he found no disease like this. He decided that this is a new disease. It seems to make the immune system completely unusable since she is being incapacitated by such a minor virus. He's named it Neuro Immuno Deficiency Syndrome, or N.I.D.S.

When Gerald forced Timothy to come home for food and rest, Maria tried to cheer him up. She showed him good physics tricks and new contraptions she had built. Sometimes he would give her a small smile and mutter "Good job." but nothing more would come from the doctor. The young girl frowned, a determined gleam in her eyes. "I will make my daddy happy" she promised in her head, before storming into the lab to look for more cool things to show him.

After many weeks of searching for a possible cure, Timothy found nothing. There seemed to be no cure. But he wouldn't give up. He's not going to sit back and watch his wife die. He wouldn't. He couldn't.

But Molly could. She watched her husband struggle for months trying to find a cure, but she finally stopped him, a simple wave of her hand, her voice to hoarse for use. There was no cure. She was going to die.

At first Timothy denied it. For the first time in his life he would just not accept that patient couldn't be cured. But after a while, he accepted it. Trying not to cry, he asked what her last request would be. Molly smiled looking into space, "I want…" she said in a weak raspy voice, "To see my daughter." Timothy nodded.

"I'll go get her." he said about to leave. Molly held up a hand signaling him to stop.

"I don't want her to see me like this.." she said softly. "I want a painting of her. Maybe of her playing with you. With all of us." A tear rolled down her cheek, "And.. Tell her her… That her mommy loves her. Oh, so very much." Timothy nodded solemnly. He bent over and gave her a long tender kiss on the lips.

When they parted he whispered, "I love you."

Molly nodded, "I love you too." her husband walked through the doorway and closed it behind him. When she heard the front door open and shut, she buried her face in her pillow and began to cry.

So Timothy did just that. He told Maria that he and her mommy loved her. Maria's eyes welled up with tears, "Mommy's (sniff)(sniff) gonna (hic) die?" Timothy frowned more and nodded sadly. Sometimes he wished she wasn't so inquisitive. Tears ran down the young girls face. "T...t..tell her (hic) (hic) (sniff)that I love her too!" she cried before grabbing her daddy's leg and began to sob into it. He looked down at his daughter as tears began to well up in his hazel eyes. He crouched down to her level,wrapped his arms around her, and began to cry as well. Outside of Maria's room Gerald stood by the door. He could hear the two sobbing. The inventor sighed sadly, taking off his glasses to clean them with his shirt.

"Well, Molly was a good woman. She will be okay. I just hope her family pulls through."

After putting Maria to bed, Timothy began painting. He didn't stop to eat, or drink, or sleep, he just kept painting and painting. It was of Maria's 2nd birthday party. They were in a lush green meadow with a large tree in the center under a clear blue sky. Each of them laid on a blanket with a picnic basket in the middle under the tree. He, Molly, and Gerald sat together laughing with little maria in Molly's arms with cake all over her grinning face. Timothy smiled as he painted it, remembering the memory fondly.

The next day, he went to his office to show his wife the finished product. "Good morning, Molly." he said opening her bedroom door slightly. He peeked in to see his wife, still lovely as ever, lying in bed asleep. Light streamed through an open window next to the bed, giving her an angelic glow. He smiled and stepped in, holding the finished painting behind his back. "Yoo hoo~." he sang walking up to the bed. "I have your gift, sweetheart." he said gazing at her lovingly. His smile faded and his stomach dropped.

She wasn't asleep.

Gerald made sure Maria stayed occupied in his lab after Timothy left, he had a feeling that something bad had happened. But he had a feeling that she knew too, for she didn't wonder and gawk enthusiastically at the different contraptions as she used to.

As if on cue, a loud anguished cry rang through the village. Gerald sighed sadly as the screaming turned to sobbing. He sat in the living room, patiently waiting for his son to return as Maria tried to amuse herself in the lab. As he listened to the man's cries, he couldn't help but remember when his own wife had died. Closing his eyes he cringed at the memory of the the pain and devastation that he felt the day that he was told of her death. He had never felt anything so painful before in his life. After he heard the news, Gerald remembered locking himself in his cellar lab, and cried, cried endlessly. He cried for a day, and then spent most of his time tinkering. Tinkering tinkering endless tinkering, anything to get Rosemary's death of his mind. Only it just made him think of it more. After a week of tinkering, surviving with the storage of food that he kept in the lab, he finally find some solace. He knew she was out there, somewhere on a cloud in heaven, Rosemary was watching him, and his sons. His sons, Timothy and Julian were pretty much the only thing that kept him from moping for the rest of his life. Rosemary had loved the two boys with all her heart, and Gerald knew she would want him to put them first. And so his two sons became his life line as he slowly accepted his wife's death. He hoped that his youngest son would think of Maria in the same way to help him get through his pain. "But..." Gerald thought grimly, "Tim never took losing very well, and this is the worst kind of loss."

Suddenly, the crying stopped. At first the old inventor didn't notice, too wrapped up in his own thoughts. But as his thoughts slowly drifted back to the present, he noticed the deafening silence. "Maybe his voice became hoarse," Gerald pondered, " or maybe he went to bed."He stayed still for a few minutes, wondering if it would start up again. He began to feel uneasy about the sudden lack of noise and decided to check on him. After telling his granddaughter he was going out, he went to the office to check on his son.

He entered the house, the rusty hinged door creaking as it was opened and closed with a thud. "Son?" he called, standing in front of the now closed front door. Carefully Gerald walked down the hall, past the main medic bay, and past a few cots to the bedroom. He stopped in front of the closed door, not sure what to do. Quietyl he pressed an ear up against the mahogany door. He heard nothing. Slightly confused, he moved away from the door. After crying for that long and that loud there should be SOME sound in there. Timothy trying to catch his breath, or even him snoring in his sleep. Gerald's thoughts suddenly went ot the worst, but he tried to push them out. Stiffening himself for the worst, he grabbed the doors handle and yanked it open.

He came into Molly's room only to find her body, undisturbed, but alone. He went for a closer look and found the painting that Timothy had worked so hard on next to her pillow. Gerald carefully picked it up. It was a beautiful painting, with every detail precise, just like Timothy. But as he held it to the light streaming through the window, something from the back showed through. Gerald turned it over and saw a hurriedly scrawled out note in black ink.

Dear Gerald: I'm sorry. Please take care of Maria. -Tim

Gerald's eyes widened in horror. "TIMOTHY!" he bellowed and ran out of the house.

Bursting out the front door, he ran, shouting his sons name over and over again. He searched everywhere, asked everyone where he was, but they didn't know. Timothy was missing. The local royal guards tried to help as well, for Gerald and his son had helped them many a times, but had no luck. Maria stayed with a family friend and favorite babysitter, a kind rabbit named Vanilla. The young blonde mourned the loss of her mother, but not as much as she did on the day her father told of her imminent demise. She mostly feared for her father, knowing how sad he got when he couldn't do something right. While Gerald was away, she decided to make her daddy something when he came back.

A couple days later, the doctor was found, his corpse washing up along the river bank.

The two doctors' funeral was very simple, nothing very extravagant, just as Molly would prefer. All members from each side of the family attended. Timothy and Molly were buried next to each other by her old veterinary office, where they first met. Before their coffins were closed, Maria had brought something that she wanted to inside with them. It was a crude charcoal drawing of their family, with Molly smiling down from a cloud in the sky while her grandfather, father, and she sat under that same tree on that same hill. Gerald did not attend the funeral.

Gerald had done most of their mourning far before Timothy's body was found. After only two days of searching, he had begun to realize just what his son had done. He sat in the same chair he sat in when he waited for his son's return, is face buried in his two gloved hands. He did not cry, but he was still devastated. He had hoped this wouldn't happen. He had hoped that Timothy would stay for Maria. He had hoped that he would've stayed for Molly. He had hoped that he would be left to care for Maria. Timothy's income was much higher than his own, after all being a locksmith wasn't that big of a business. Gerald loved his little granddaughter with all of his heart, but he feared that he may not be able to take care of her.

Just as Gerald pondered this, he heard the door open and little bit of yellow and blue cact the corner of his eye. He turned his head to the door, and there was his little granddaughter, dressed in a black dress for the funeral.

"Grandaddy," the young hedgehog said timidly, "Can I come in?" Gerald stared at the young hedgehog for a few moments, a blank expression on his face. Then he sighed and gave her a sad smile.

"Of course Maria, come on in." he replied. Shly the little blond hedgehog entered the room, pattering her way to her grand father's chair. When the three year old got in front of him, she held up her arms, silently asking to be picked up. Gerald's smile widened slightly and complied, hoisting the little girl up before sitting her down on his lap. Maria hugged her grandfather close, nuzzling her head into his big belly. Gerald frowned again, softly stroking the young girl's blonde hair to comfort her. She sniffled a little and looked up at him with her big blue bambi eyes that were filled with such a sadness, that it made Gerald's heartache.

"Grand Daddy," she asked softly, "Why did he leave?"

Gerald blinked, slightly confused. "...What?" he uttered, looking down at his tiny little granddaughter.

"Why did my father leave?" the blonde clarified, her voice becoming louder, and her lower lip trembling slightly. The inventor cringed slightly in guilt, not sure how to explain the motives of a suicidal parent of a 3 year old, to the 3 year old.

"Well.." he began lamely, looking away from his granddaughter, who stared at him intently, "..your father… was very sad…. he didn't want to live in a world where his one true love… wasn't."

"But didn't he love me?" Maria said, tears pricking the corner of her eyes.

"Of course he loved you," Gerald said reassuringly rubbing her back to calm her down. It didn't seem to work as she scrunched up her nose and closed her eyes tightly, trying to hold back tears the best a toddler can.

"...but not enough," she said simply, opening her eyes to look down at her tiny gloved hands. A sob suddenly shook through her frail body, and Gerald's heart wrench once more.

"I..(sniff) t-tried to make him ha-appy. I really really did." she said, a few tears escaping her eyes, "B-but I couldn't (squeak)," Gerald closed his eyes and sighed, preparing for the worst. "He...might have (sniffed) loved me.. but.." More tears streamed down her face. "He...he..(sob) he loved mommy more!" she exclaimed her voice breaking, then buried her face into the lab coat of her grandfather. Int return he wrapped his arms around her, watching sadly as the young girl cried, something that she hadn't done since she was a baby. He made no attempt to correct her statement, nor uttered a single word of comfort. He simply held her, letting her stain his lab coat with tears, rubbing her back to calm her down. They sat together like this until her wails stopped, only little hiccups and sniffles. Her eyes were red and filled with exhaustion. Gerald chuckled a little as her eyes drooped, struggling to stay awake Slowly he stood form the armchair, lifting up Maria with him.

"Come on," he said with a hushed tone, bringing her face to his level, "Lets get you to bed." Maria nodded drowsily, another hiccup coming out of her as she did so. Carefully the doctor exited the room and went upstairs. He walked down the hallway, passing his own bedroom door, then her parent's old bedroom. As they passed it, Maria looked over Gerard's shoulder, her tired eyes filled with sadness and grief. Gerald frowned at this look in her eye, but continued, finally reaching her bedroom door. Her door was the only painted door, the others plain and brown. It was painted a solid sky blue , with a white square in the center with the words "Maria's Workshop" sloppily painted in black. Gerald smiled, remembering when Timothy had finished painting her room, with little 2 year old Maria wanting to add something to it. Her room was her workshop, and when she worked he banned anyone from entering.

Making sure Maria was secure with his left arm, he used his right arm to open the blue door. It opened with a creak, revealing a sea of wood. The entire floor was covered in wood toys, gadgets, and scrap, with only a clean spot near the door to keep from getting in the way, revealing the green painted floor, which was invisible elsewhere.

Other than the sea of wood, there was a bed, with a hay stuffed mattress, and white linen sheets. Next to the bed was a large oak dresser, with small vanity. Maria's toolbox was placed on top of it along with a few more wood gadgets. The walls were painted the same sky blue as the door, with the ceiling painted an almost black navy blue dotted with realistic stars and constellations.

Gerald gazed at the messy floor nervously, trying to figure out a safe path to get to the bed. "Sorry." Maria mumbled sleepily, and he chuckled. Slowly he tiptoed his way through the gauntlet of toys. Finally he reached the bed, and put Maria down in it.


End file.
